Carburettor or Fuel Injection - Which Is Better?

Question

Looking to buy a car which came with both carburettor and fuel injected engines. As the carby engines are cheaper to buy, which is better? Is fuel injection more efficient? Reliable? Powerful? Is it possible to make a carburettor more efficient or even convert it to fuel injection?

Answer 1

Modern fuel injection is much more efficient than carburettors, but I;m not sure that they made that much difference in their early days. Personally, if I was going to get an older car that I had a choice on, I'd probably go for a carb, simply because I believe that it would be cheaper and easier to repair than fuel injection.

Answer 2

No doubt about it, fuel injection is superior to a carburetor in all but maybe some racing situations. However, quagi m has a good point. If the car you are considering is older, repair parts and expertise for carbs will be much easier to come by. The alternative is crossing your fingers that the relatively older electronic fuel controller will not fail the test of time. Allow me to bore you with an older example. The first electronic fuel injection in the US was in the 1958 model year. A handful of Chrysler products (also available with carbs) were delivered with a Bendix system which proved to be quite troublesome. Even after all this time, carb parts and expertise are available (if not plentiful). Fuel injection parts disappeared forty years ago.

Answer 3

A properly sized, optimized and tuned carburetor should give you equivalent power as a properly sized, optimized and tuned fuel injection system. The power does not come from the fuel delivery system, but in the capacity of the engine. Which is better? In reality, carburetors are rarely perfectly sized, rarely perfectly set up and even more rarely kept in appropriate tune. They're easier to use in the hands of the garage mechanic, are cheaper, and simpler to both maintain and service. Fuel injection systems are capable of precise tuning over a far wider use range, and will keep perfect tune provided the injectors are clean and the sensors are functioning. As a previous post mentioned, the driveability can be made perfect, the cold start-up and subsequent driving in all weather conditions can be kept optimum. On the downside, its expensive to buy, expensive to maintain (when things go wrong), not as intuitive to service if you're not familiar with it, and most stock systems are inherently handicapped with design compromise that limits its absolute performance.

Answer 4

fuel Injection is beter startes beter then a carb will older cars has a carb and newer has fuel injection so it's really up to you if u want a newer car or older one good luck

Answer 5

fuel injection by far is the best you can get better horsepower and better mpg with it. Ask JLeno he doubled his fuel mpg in his tank powered car with fuel injection

Answer 6

old car, carb...new car fuel injection....so do you want an old car or new car..